Epigraphia Indica Vol 08

Author(s): E Hultzsch
Publisher: Archaeological Survey of India

Page 83

DPIGRAPHIA INDICA.
[VOL. VIII.
G. "Khitd. -(19) AS. 14; bat Bühler bas corrected this reading to 18 in Die Ind. Ingchriften und die Kunstpoesie, p. 58. -(20) G. vasapakhe ; AS. vasapa[khe]. -(21) G. opasana.
TRANSLATION. "Success! From the camp of victory of the Vejayanti army, Siri-Sadakani Gotamiputa, lord of Ben&kataka of Govidhana, commands Viņhupalita, the officer at Govadhana: The Ajakalakiya field in the village of Western Kakhadi, previously enjoyed by Usabhadeta, - two hundred-200 - ivartanas, - that our field - two hundred - 200 - rivartanas - we oonfer on those Tekirasi ascetics; and to that fleld we grant immunity, (making it) not to be entered (by royal officers), not to be touched (by any of them), not to be dug for salt, not to be interfered with by the district police, and (in short) to enjoy all kinds of immunities; with those immunities invest it; and this field and these immunities take care to have registered here. Verbally ordered ; written down by the officer Sivaguta; kept by the Mahásámiyas. The deed was delivered in the 18th year, on the 1st day of the end fortnight of the rainy season ; executed by Tapasa."
Vejayantiye onght to be taken as a local name and as alluding to the town of Vejayanti (K. 1). Vejayanti is not identical with vijayanti, the feminine of the participle vijayat,
victorious.' The mention of the Vejayanti army' may have been promoted by the wish of recalling to mind the usual formula vijayaskandhavára in a way at once pleasant to the king and honourable for his troops, whose successes it commemorated.
I cannot discover the d which AS. and G. attach to the second k of Bendkataka. This is not to be wondered at, because it seems impossible to interpret Benákatakasvami otherwise than as a compound of the same form as Navanarasvami in N. 3. When svamin is prefixed as a title, it is placed before the king's name (såmi Siri-Poļumayi, K. 14; N. 25; s&mi Siriyaña-Satakapi, N. 24), and not, we would be the case here, if Bühler and Bhagwanlal were right, before his metronymic. As to the genitive Govadhanasa, it could certainly be explained as governed implicitly by Bendkafaka and pointing out the district where the place is situated. It seems however much more probable that it must be construed with skandhavárat. The sequence of words would then appear somewhat less regular; but the presence of another genitive, senaye Vejayantiye, may have caused Govadhanasa to be placed after khandhavára. As we know nothing about Ben&kataka (see the preceding inscription), its situation need not be considered here. But it is unlikely that the king, while dating his gift from his head-quarters, should not have stated the name, and, as the gift mentioned here was made by him verbally and personally, it is all but oertain that he was himself present at Govardhana.
Bühler and Bhagwanlal understand ajakálakiyan = Sanskrit adyakálikam, an adjective qualifying khetan, and which, determining the following Usabhadatena bhdtam, would mean 'till to-day.' This meaning would be excellent; it would have the advantage of dating positively the Southern conquest of Gautamiputrs, which probably brought about the dispossession of the Kshaharata Rishabhadatta in favour of the invader. But from the grammatical point of view - without taking into account the singularity of the form adyakalakiya= adyakálika,it would really be an odd way of speaking. It is, besides, necessary that the object of the gift should be precisely stated, the more so because, if Rishabhadatta had laid hand on possession in these parta, it is hardly to be believed that it would not have extended over more than one field. I, therefore, am inclined to think that Ajakálakiya is the name of a place, whatever may be its exact etymology which I have no means to state for certain,
I have no doubt that Tekirasina is the equivalent of Tiranhukánan and refers to the monks on mount Trirasmi. As to the phonetic change, I see nothing more convincing than the conjecture of Bühler, who corrects the word to Torasikanan = Trairqimikanári But it is really a desperate expedient 80 desperate that I may be allowed to ask a question.